The present invention relates to a vehicular armrest which deforms in a controlled manner as a result of a geometry change caused by compressive force during an impact event.
Vehicle designers have drawn their attention in recent years to the provision of energy-absorbing vehicle interiors. Interior trim systems associated with the side structures of vehicles have been of particular interest as designers have sought to provide more comprehensive, or tailored, energy absorption characteristics for handling side impact events. U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,830 discloses a vehicle door having at least two deformable areas, including an armrest which is caused to change its shape by bending the material of the armrest during a side impact. This construction suffers from the problem that an armrest which has sufficient strength to function properly during normal usage of the vehicle will not usually prove to be a sufficiently accommodating structure to present a softer surface to a motorist during an impact event. U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,743, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, illustrates an armrest which is mechanically pulled down into a door trim panel in the result of an impact against the door. It is noted that the system of the '743 patent requires an impact upon a certain region of the outer portion of the door to achieve the motion of pulling the armrest downwardly, and although providing some accommodation to the motorist, its effectiveness is circumscribed by this actuation requirement.
An armrest system according to the present invention is dynamically deconstructable inasmuch as an impact directed against the armrest, and having a magnitude in excess of a predetermined threshold value, will cause the armrest to change geometry as a portion of the armrest is expelled from alignment with its mating portion, so as to modulate the energy input into a motorist during an impact event.